Luminous lock attachment



Nov. 3, 1953 B, HElNz 2,658,151

LUMINOUS LOCK ATTACHMENT Filed Oct. 24, 1951 z3 Zv 24- ATTORNEYS' Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUMINOUS LOCK ATTACHMENT Bernard Heinz, Scranton, Pa. Application October 24, 1951, Serial No. 252,857

(Cl. Z50-76) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a luminous attachment for locks.

An object of this invention is to provide a luminous attachment for locks, particularly vehicle door locks which will provide for easy spotting of the lock in the dark and which will assist in guiding the key into the keyhole.

Another object 'of this invention is to provide a luminous attachment for door locks which can be applied without changing the present structure of the lock, the attachment being secured to the lock by cementitious material.

A further object of this invention is to provide a luminous attachment which includes a rotatable key guide which is frictionally held against rotation so that the keyhole therethrough will be in registry with the keyhole of the lock.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specication, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a luminous lock attachment constructed according Ato an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed side elevation of the device.

Figure 3 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the resilient ring for the key guide.

Figure 5 is a ltransverse sectional View of a modied form of this invention.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I designates generally a conventional lock barrel which is encompassed in a cylindrical housing II having an outer barrel retaining flange I2 overlying the outer end oi the barrel I3. The lock barrel I9 includes an outer end plate I3 having a key hole I4 therethrough for permitting insertion of a key into the locking mechanism. The lock barrel with the casing I I is of a type which is mounted in a door of a vehicle, and in order to provide a means whereby the outer end of the lock may be made visible in the dark, I have provided a transparent ring I5.

The ring I has an inner diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the retaining ange I2, and the ring I5 is formed at its inner end with a flange I6. The ring I5 is also provided with an annular groove Il disposed in the inner end thereof and within which a luminous material I8 is adapted to be disposed. The transverse configuration of ring I5 is such that the ring I5 will magnify the luminous material I8 so that there will appear to be a complete diffusion of the luminous material with respect to the ring I5. A collar, generally designated as I9, is secured by cementitious material 23 to the ilange l2 and the collar I3 includes an inwardly flared ring 2I having an outer annular flange 22 engaging over the outer end of the casing II.

A disc shaped key guide 23 is rotatably disposed within the ring I5, being provided with a keyhole 24 which is adapted to be normally disposed in registry with the keyhole I4. The outer side of the guide 23 inclines inwardly as indicated in 25 in the direction of the keyhole 24 so that when a key is being inserted through the keyhole 24, the key, upon striking the inclined surface 25, will automatically move inwardly toward the keyhole 23. The guide 23 is formed with an annular flange 2S at its inner end engaging against the inner end or side of the ring I5 so that ring I5 will retain guide 23 in operative position. Ring I5 with guide 23 is locked to the casing II by means of a locking collar generally designated as 2'I.

The locking collar 2l includes a cylindrical body 28 formed with a plurality of V-shaped slits 29, and the outer end of the cylindrical body 28 is formed with an inwardly extending annular flange 3l! engaging over the ange I6 of ring I5. The series of circumferentially spaced apart slits 2S form a plurality of locking ngers 3|, and each nger 3| is formed with an inwardly eX- ltending locking ange 32 adapted to engage behind the annular flange 22 of collar I9. The locking or retaining member 2l encompasses the ring I5 and the xed collar I9, and in order to provide for frictionally holding key guide member 23 against rotation, resilient flat ring 33 is interposed between key guide 23 and fixed collar I9. Normally, the friction ring 33 is flat, as shown in Figure 4, but when the retaining collar 2'I is applied to the xed collar or ring I9, friction ring 33 will be ilexed inwardly, as shown in Figure 3, so that key guide 23 will be under constant frictional engagement with ring 33 in order that guide 23 will be held against rotation.

In the application or mounting of the attachment on the lock structure embodying the barrel la, which is positioned within the casing II, the fixed collar i9 is cemented or otherwise xedly secured to the casing II and the ange I2. 'I'he luminous ring I5 with the guide 23 disposed therein is positioned within the retaining ring 21, and the frictional ring 33 is disposed ai; the inner end of the guide 23. The retaining ring 21, which flange 35.

-of flange 16a.

is formed with a flared inner end 34, is pressed over the fixed ring IS until the locking lugs or anges 23 engage against the inner end of flange 22. At this time, friction ring 33 will be bent or flexed inwardly so as to assume a substantially frustoconical iiguration with the outer marginal portion of ring 33 bearing against the outer marginal portion of collar I9, thereby placing ring 33 under tension.v and frictionallyholding Yguideja against rotation.

Referring now to Figure 5, there is disclosed a modified form of this invention wherein a luminous ring a is provided with a groove |1a at its inner end within which a luminousgmaterial 18a is positioned. rThe ring 15a is formedat its. inner end with a marginal flange 16a. Afixed or base collar generally designated as |9a is 'securedby cementitious material 20a to the lock casing l la, and the base collar orring |9a is formed-of a frustoconical body 21a with an annular fiange 22a `encompassing the casing I la.

Arkey-guiding 4member-23a .is rotatablyfdisposed :within ring laandis provide'dloutwardly from the'inner end thereof Ywith an annular flange 35. Alfriction ring 36 is disposed'loosely about the inner end of the guide'23a and bears against the The ring -36 is normally flat and is adapted when the ring 55a is disposed in assem- `bled and operative position to bend inwardly in lsubstantially frustoconioal configuration so as to bear resiliently and frictionally against flange 35, thereby holding the key guide 23a against rotation.

A retaining ring or collar 31 is formedof a cylindrical body 38 with an inwardly extending annular'flange 39 bearing against the outer side The cylindrical member 22a is exteriorly threaded and the interior of cylindrical body 38 of retaining member 31 is interiorly threaded for threaded engagement on the body -or ring 22a so as to rmly secure the retaining Vring 31 on the xed collar 19a and hold the parts -in 4assembled and operative position. The Aexterior of retaining member 31 may be knurled or otherwise roughened so as to facilitate the threading or unthreading of retaining member -31 lon the xed collar 19a. The luminous ring |5a-is preferably formed out of transparent,plas

vtic material, andthe key guiding member A23a Vmay also'be formed Vout of plasticfwhich maybe either transparent or translucent.

What is claimed is:

1. A luminous-attachment for a'cylindrical lock barrel Vcomprising Va flanged collar engageable about the outer end of 'said barrel, cementitious -rneans securing said collar on the .outer end of said barrel, a luminous ring Voutwardly of and concentric to said collar, a key guide within-said ring, a flange carried by Asaid Yguide bearing againstthe inner end of said ring,fmeans securing said ring to said collar, and a resilient ring interposed between'said guide and said collar for resiliently and frictionally holding said guide against rotation.

2. A luminous attachment for a cylindrical lock barrel comprising a flanged collar engageable l-aboutthe outer end of said barrel, cementitious means securing said collar on the outer end of ,saidLbarreL a luminous ring, an outer ange car- ,means securingsaid col1ar on the outer end of `f-said barrel, alluminous ring, an outerflange carried by said ring, a cylindrical retainer encompassing said flange and formed of a plurality of 'hook-shaped fingers engaging over said collar.

{4.,5Ac'luminous attachment for a cylindrical lock barrel comprising a flanged collar engageable Aabout-the outer end of said barrel, cementitious means-:securing:said collar on the outer end of said barrel, a luminous ring, an outer flange, a circular lretainer encompassing said flange, and cooperating threads carried by said collar and -said:retainer.

5. A luminous attachment for acylindricallock barrel comprising :a `flanged collar engageable 4about:..the outer .end of said barrel, means securing said collar on .the'outerend of saidbarrel, a luminous -ring outwardly of and concentric to said collar, a keyguide.within'said'ringy a iiange carried `by said .guide bearing against the inner Aend of. said ring, means securing-said ring to said collar, vand Aa resilient ring .interposed .between said guide-,and said collar for resiliently and frictionally holding said guide against rotation.

`6. A luminous attachment for acylindrical lock barrel comprising a flanged collar engageable aboutthe outer end of saidbarrel, means securing said collar on the outer end of said barrel, a luminous ring, .an :outerange :carried by said ring, a cylindrical retaineryan inwardly extending flange carried by said retainer engaging about said outer flange, and resilient locking fingers carried 'by Asaid retainer engaging about said collar.

'7. A luminous attachment fora'cylindrical lock barrel lcomprising a flanged collar engageable about'the outerend of said barrel, means securing said collar on the outerfend of said barrel, a luminous ring, 4an outer flange carried by said ring, a cylindrical retainer encompassing said ange and'formed of a vplurality of hook-shaped fingers engaging over said collar.

8. A luminous attachment for a cylindrical lock barrel. comprising a iianged collar engageable about the outer end of said barrel, meanssecuring said collar on the outer end of said barrel, a "luminous ring, an outer flange, a circular retainer -encompassing and'flange,v and cooperating threads carriedby said collar and said retainer.

BERNARD HEINZ References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,385,300 Bohrdt July 19, 1921 116632,487 Briggs Mar. 13, 1928 1,853,403 Briggs Apr. 12, 1932 '2,188,264 Fordyce Jan. 23, 1940 -2,617,290 Schwartz Nov. 1l, 1952 

